36 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress the UN Security Council has made in securing the opening of the borders to Afghanistan in order to facilitate the speedy delivery of aid and to secure the safety of refugees. [29248/01]

The Government has repeatedly called for the early reopening of Afghanistan's borders to refugees, including at the UN Security Council and at the 56th Session of the UN General Assembly. We continue to call on the relevant countries and the international donor community to work together so that we can achieve this as part of our response to the evolving refugee situation. This objective is central to the Government's strong emphasis on the necessity for a visible and effective strategy for meeting the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people over the coming period.

At UN level, the related issues of refugees and opening borders have been raised directly with both the Pakistani and Iranian Governments by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Ruud Lubbers, during his working visit to their respective capitals. In recent weeks, Afghan refugees in Iran have started to return home. The number choosing to exercise this option has risen to an average of 800 per day and recently peaked at 1,300 people. Overall, it is estimated by the UN that about 12,000 refugees have returned voluntarily to Afghanistan from Iran since 1 November. People who have been displaced within Afghanistan are also gradually returning home. All of these refugees and internally displaced people will need ongoing humanitarian support to survive the winter and to re-establish their livelihoods.